Medical Homes in Illinois
 This page is designed to keep you informed about events and activities happening in Illinois that will help improve access to medical homes for children with special health care needs (CSHCN).

Medical Home Initiatives
This section provides information on state medical home initiatives/programs. States that are a part of the mentorship network will have a "Promise to the State" which outlines how they will achieve ensuring that all children have a medical home by 2010. This is based on the Healthy People 2010 goals which is a 10 year action plan to achieve and measure success for all CSHCN.

Illinois Medical Home Team Contact:

Name: Charles Onufer, MD, FAAP
Contact: Phone: 217-793-2340 |Fax: 217-793-0773 |Email: cnonufer@uic.edu
State Team Roster available at: www.medicalhomeinfo.org/model/downloads/State Teams/IllinoisMedicalHomeTeam.pdf

Medical Homes: Spreading Innovative Pediatric Healthcare
Illinois Medical Home Project Annual Newsletter - first edition/September 2005

In this issue:
1. What’s New at the National Center of Medical Home Initiatives for CSHCN?
2. Web-Based Resources on Medical Home
3. What’s Happening in Illinois?
4. Acknowledgement of Organizations Supporting Illinois Medical Home Project (IMHP)
5. New! Recruiting Practices to Participate in a Medical Home Grant
6 . Illinois: The Progressive Medical Home State
7 . Meet the IMHP Practices

MCHB Medical Home Grant: Illinois Medical Home Project
www.medicalhomeinfo.org/grant/states/MCHB Grants/IMHP Updated Abstract 7-27-04.doc
Contact: Kathy Sanabria, MBA, PMP Phone: 312-733-2850 | Email: ksanabria@illinoisaap.net
Project Period: 4 years from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2008
Purpose: The IMHP supports development of community-based medical homes for CYSHCN by informing primary care providers about the medical home model; providing access to quality improvement (QI) processes involving partnerships with parents, linkages to community resources, and reimbursement; facilitating QI Teams at practices; and sponsoring Leadership Forums to develop statewide action plans. For more information on the Illinois Medical Home Project please visit their website at www.illinoisaap.org/medicalhome.htm.

Illinois is participating in the National Initiative for Child Health Quality (NICHQ) Medical Home Learning Collaborative (October 2004 - September 2005)
The Medical Home Learning Collaborative is a 15-month project committed to helping primary care practices become accessible, family-centered, and provide care that is continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective. A particular emphasis is placed on care coordination and family involvement in decision-making for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Project Overveiw: www.nichq.org/NICHQ/Programs/CollaborativeLearning/MHLC2005.htm

Primer on the Illinois Medical Home Model for Physicians
internet.dscc.uic.edu/dsccroot/providers/providers.asp
(Click on the Medical Home logo in the upper left hand corner of the Providers Section to link to the Primer.)

The first two components of the Illinois Medical Home Model define what it means when families say they have a Medical Home and and what it means when physicians say they provide a Medical Home. The third component describes the activities occurring in Illinois to promote the Medical Home Model. The primer includes references, video clips, PowerPoint presentations and many handouts that are downloadable. Also included is the 2nd edition of the UIC-DSCC Medical Home CME Monograph for community pediatricians and family physicians that was published on May 1, 2004. The entire 70 page document is downloadable as a PDF file.

Primer on the Illinois Medical Home Model for Families
internet.dscc.uic.edu/medhome/familyprimer/FamilyMHPrimer.asp
" What Families Need to Know about a Medical Home" has been developed to explain the Medical Home Model for families and children with special health care needs. It explains the family-professional partnership and how it relates to accessing quality health care. The primer goes on to explain how families can become proactively involved in Quality Improvement Teams in their primary care provider's practice. There are links to the AAP web site describing what others states are doing to promote Medical Home, a downloadable Parent-Partner Guide, Power Point presentations, and information about the Illinois Title V CSHCN Program.

Medical Home Physician Reimbursement Brochure
DSCC recognizes that serving children with special health needs is often more complex and time consuming. Medical Home Physicians will be reimbursed when the level of decision-making or planning complexity requires more physician time. Reimbursable services may include telephone consultations with specialists and certain care coordination activities not otherwise covered by third party payers. More specific information is available in the

DSCC Fee Schedule for Medical Home Services brochure. internet.dscc.uic.edu/forms/medicalhome/0302.pdf
If you have any questions or would like more information about becoming a Medical Home Physician, please contact DSCC at internet.dscc.uic.edu/dsccroot/info_request.asp.

Pediatric Specialists Available for Consultation to Assist Primary Care Physicians Managing Care for CSHCN
A statewide network of pediatric specialists who will provide telephone consultation to community primary care physicians is in the process of being finalized. For physicians with limited experience in treatment planning for medically complex children, the consultants will be available to provide consultation in the development and management of care for CSHCN. Reimbursement for consultation services with these specialists will be available for DSCC approved medical home providers. More information about this new consultation service will be available from this site in the near future. Contact DSCC for more information about becoming a DSCC approved medical home provider.

Governor Ryan proclaims 2002 The Year of the Medical Home in Illinois
On January 31, 2002 Governor George Ryan issued a proclamation announcing 2002 as the year of the medical home in Illinois. The proclamation recognizes the collaborative work of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, and the University of Illinois Division of Specialized Care for Children to ensure that every child and family is guaranteed quality, comprehensive health services through a medical home.

Illinois Statewide Medical Home Implementation Plan: Promise to the State www.medicalhomeinfo.org/grant/states/ILLINO%7E1.PDF

Families Assisting in the Development of the Medical Home Implementation Plan
Members of the DSCC Family Advisory Council, which is comprised of families representing each of the agency's thirteen service regions throughout Illinois, have been engaged in the development of the medical home concept. Members participated in the development of medical home informational brochures for distribution to families and physicians.

Related Grant Initiatives
This section provides information on current state grants that are working on medical home initiatives. This includes the grant abstract as well as key contacts for the grant.

No information is currently available for this category.

Educational Initiatives
This section provides information on training initiatives on the medical home. Some states will discuss their outreach projects in relation to physicians, families, and the community.

Educational Outreach Includes Medical Grand Rounds and CATCH Meetings
Efforts to provide primary care providers with information on the medical home model and the tools needed to introduce the process within their medical practices are underway. DSCC has begun providing presentations on the medical home model at local CATCH (Community Access to Child Health) meetings and at medical grand rounds. These opportunities provide physicians and other interested health care providers with information about the state Title V program (DSCC), introduction to the medical home model, and a brief introduction to the Medical Home Index and Medical Home Family Index.

Medical practices interested in arranging on-site presentations and anyone interested in further information can contact Angela Pitts or Shelly Roat, the DSCC medical home technical assistance team, by phone (1-800-322-3722) or e-mail at ampitts@uic.edu or sgroat@uic.edu.

Physician Outreach
Physicians interested in learning more about the benefits of providing a medical home for children with special health needs are urged to contact DSCC and arrange a free on-site inservice on the medical home model. With each medical practice inservice, 1-2 hours of free CME credit will be given for successful completion of the Medical Home CME Monograph. The DSCC medical home team provides 60-minute presentations for physicians and office staff as well as copies of the CME Monograph. Presentations can be arranged at your office upon request. To contact the medical home technical assistance team at DSCC, call Shelly Roat at 1-800-322-3722 or e-mail the team at dscc@uic.edu.

Partners in the State
Many organizations and individuals have been actively involved and instrumental in the medical home initiatives undertaken in Illinois. The following partners are acknowledged for their dedication and commitment to families and children with special health care needs:

UIC-Division of Specialized Care for Children
Administered by the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) is the Illinois Title V agency that provides care coordination for families and children with special health care needs. DSCC has been one of Illinois' lead agencies in developing and implementing the medical home model in Illinois. To find out more information, visit the DSCC website www.uic.edu/hsc/dscc.

Title V Block Grant to States
Title V of the Social Security Act is one of the largest Federal block grant programs. It leads the nation in ensuring the health of all mothers, infants, children, adolescents, and children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Title V is administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) as part of the Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Title V and Children with Special Health Care Needs
MCHB Objective: Support development and implementation of comprehensive, culturally competent, coordinated systems of care for the estimated 18 million U.S. children who have or are at risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral or emotional conditions and who also require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally

Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Contact(s):
State EHDI programs promote universal newborn hearing screening, develop effective tracking and follow-up as a part of the public health system, promote appropriate and timely diagnosis of the hearing loss, prompt enrollment in appropriate Early Intervention, link newborns to a medical home and strive to eliminate geographic and financial barriers to service access.

Name: Gail Tanner, MS CCC-A
Contact: Phone: 217-557-5097 - Fax: 217-524-2831
Email: gtanner@idph.state.il.us

Early Intervention/Part C Coordinator:
The Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C of IDEA) is a federal grant program that assists states in operating a comprehensive statewide program of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities, ages birth through age 2 years, and their families.

Name: Janet Gully, Chief
Contact: Phone: (217) 782-1981 | Fax: (217) 524-6248
Email: dhsvr50@dhs.state.il.us
Website: www.state.il.us/agency/dhs/eisnp.html

Section 619/ Preschool Grants Program of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This program provides free appropriate public education (FAPE) for children, ages 3 through 5 years, with disabilities:

Name: Pam Reising-Rechner, Principal Consultant
Contact: Phone: (217) 524-4835 | Fax: (217) 785-7849
Email: preising@isbe.net
Website: www.isbe.net/earlychi/Default.htm

State Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) Chairs:
The ICC advises appropriate agencies on the unmet needs in early childhood special education and early intervention programs for children with disabilities, assists in the development and implementation of policies that constitute a statewide system, and assists all appropriate agencies in achieving full participation, coordination, and cooperation for implementation of statewide system.

Name: Anne Shannon, ICC Chair
Contact: Phone: (708) 547-3550 x3597 | Fax: (708) 547-4067
Email: parcassn@aol.com

Resources/Documents
Continuing Medical Education Module available on the Medical Home Model
A Medical Home CME Monograph (internet.dscc.uic.edu/forms/medicalhome/MedHomeCMEMonograph.pdf) has been developed to introduce primary care providers to the concept of a medical home and define how the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) will integrate this concept within the agency's care coordination activities. The monograph addresses new reimbursement parameters for DSCC-approved providers managing children with special health care needs. This CME monograph has been reviewed and accepted for up to 2 Prescribed Credit Hours by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians. IAFP Prescribed Credit is accepted by the AMA as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit for the AMA Physician's Recognition Award (PRA). When applying for the AMA PRA, Prescribed Credit Hours earned must be reported as Prescribed Hours, not as Category 1. Completion of the CME monograph is part of the process for becoming a DSCC medical home provider.

Primary care physicians who become approved DSCC medical home providers are reimbursed for the care coordination activities provided for eligible children with special health care needs. Physicians interested in becoming a medical home provider need to successfully complete the CME Monograph. For additional information about becoming a DSCC medical home provider, contact DSCC for more information.

Physician Brochure: Medical Home - a Partnership for Families and Health Care Professionals
DSCC, in collaboration with other state agencies, professional and non-governmental organizations, foundations and service providers has developed a brochure that explains the definition of the medical home, the requirements for enrollment and DSCC's role. The physician brochure is available at: internet.dscc.uic.edu/forms/medicalhome/4018.pdf

Family Support Groups sponsor Medical Home presentations
DSCC regional family support groups in Greenville and Palos Heights have sponsored presentations on Medical Homes for Children with Special Health Care Needs. Plans are in place to develop additional family support groups throughout the state that will assist in scheduling future medical home educational meetings. For more information about family support groups in your area contact Bob Cook at DSCC by calling 1-800-322-3722 or E-mail: rjcook@uic.edu.

Project CHOICES: www.projectchoices.org/
Project CHOICES is a "least restrictive environment" initiative funded by the Illinois State Board of Education. There are two components to the Project: CHOICES, which supports school-age children; and Early CHOICES, which supports preschool-age children. The purpose of CHOICES/Early CHOICES is to increase the capacities of school districts and educational personnel to educate and provide supports and services to children and youth with disabilities in the preschool, school, and community environments in which they would participate if not identified as having a disability.

Teen Transition Facts for Health Professionals Brochure
The Illinois American Academy of Pediatrics developed this brochure to help prepare health professionals for transitioning their patients to adulthood.

State Waiver Information: www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicaidStWaivProgDemoPGI/08_WavMap.asp
Waivers are the result of a process that allows state Medicaid agencies to apply for and receive permission from HCFA to provide services not otherwise covered by Medicaid and/or to do so in ways not described by the Social Security Act. Most Medicaid managed care programs require Waivers. The Waivers, which can differ greatly, are known by their numbers (1115, 1119), or as home-and community-based, or as Katie Beckett Waivers.

Screening Initiatives
 This section provides information on surveillance and screening initiatives in the state.

Developmental Surveillance and Screening Policy Implementation Project (D-PIP)
North Arlington Pediatrics from Arlington Hts., IL is participating in the Developmental Surveillance and Screening Policy Implementation Project (D-PIP). The D-PIP has selected 17 practices from across the United States to implement the AAP policy statement (scheduled for publication in July 2006) “Identifying Infants and Young Children with Developmental Disorders in the Medical Home: An Algorithm for Developmental Surveillance and Screening” to 1) determine if the algorithm is efficiently and effectively implemented into pediatric practice; 2) recognize strategies for implementing the algorithm; and 3) examine outcomes of implementation. Following the project, information and outcomes will be shared with pediatric clinicians and other health care professionals who are seeking to improve the delivery of developmental surveillance and screening.

Additional information on the D-PIP is available at: www.medicalhomeinfo.org/screening/DPIP.html

State Newborn Screening & Genetics Programs: genes-r-us.uthscsa.edu/resources.htm

  • State Newborn Screening Program Links
  • State Genetics Program Links
  • Regional Genetics and Newborn Screening Collaborative Links
  • Newborn Screening State Contact Fact Sheet

Assuring Better Health and Child Development (ABCD) Program:
http://12.109.133.213/_docdisp_page.cfm?LID=BB138571-949F-4AFB-8AD4813752870C0D
The ABCD II Initiative, launched in 2003, is designed to assist states in building the capacity of Medicaid programs to deliver care that supports children’s healthy mental development.

Illinois was chosen as one of five states to join the National Academy for State Healthy Policy’s (NASHP’s) Assuring Better Child Heath and Development II (ABCD II) initiative. Other states involved in the initiative are California, Iowa, Minnesota and Utah. In Illinois, the project is called “Healthy Beginnings.” The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (IDHFS, formerly the Illinois Department of Public Aid) is the lead agency for Healthy Beginnings and is working in partnership with many organizations which are focused on improving child health and development, including the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP), the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP), and the Ounce of Prevention Fund.

Healthy Beginnings has identified the following three overarching goals:
1. increase Illinois primary care providers’ ability to provide more comprehensive care to Medicaid-eligible families with young children, including identification of social/emotional health issues;
2. improve the provision of mental health-related intervention services to Medicaid-eligible women and their children under age three identified by primary health care providers;
3. provide lessons learned to inform future efforts that will lead to changes in statewide policy and practice in Illinois and in Medicaid programs in other states.

These goals will be achieved, in part, through educational programs for pediatricians and family physicians in topic areas such as:

  • Social/Emotional Screening and Referral, including using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social/Emotional (ASQ: SE)
  • Perinatal Maternal Depression Screening and Referral, including using the Edinburgh Post-Natal Depression Scale

Trainings will be offered both on-site, as well as through teleconferences. Both models of training will offer CME credit.

Illinois Early Autism Detection and Referral Program Honored with National Award of Excellence
The Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP) has won the Award of Excellence in the 2005 Associations Advance America (AAA) Awards programs, a national competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Washington, DC.

ICAAP received the award for its physician education program titled, Screening Tools and Education for Pediatric Providers 2 (STEPPs 2): Early Autism Detection and Referral, which was developed by Illinois pediatricians. Autism has gained a great deal of national attention in recent years. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that as many as 1 in 166 children may be affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Early detection and referral by physicians is crucial to helping children get the best start they can.

STEPPs 2 is now in the running to receive a Summit Award, ASAE’s top recognition for association programs, to be presented in ceremonies at ASAE’s 6th Annual Summit Awards Dinner in September 2005 in Washington, DC. STEPPs 2 is funded by The Autism Project (TAP) of the Illinois Department of Human Services. TAP’s goal is to promote an overall systems change in Illinois for those with ASD. One of the ways in which they do this is to raise awareness of autism among primary care medical professionals, in order to help children with autism get the early diagnosis and intervention services they need. The STEPPs 2 program has made possible by offering providers an overview of ASD, including definitions and information about recognizing early signs of autism. The educational program also discusses common misconceptions about the causes and stereotypes of autism, as well as how to refer children who show signs of autism to the Early Intervention system, the Special Education system, and to specialists. ICAAP also strives to help the office staff become familiar with the team approach to diagnosis and the importance of evidence-based treatment of autistic spectrum disorders. Practicing pediatricians and experts in the field serve as speakers for the program, which will have been presented nearly 60 times in private practices, clinics, and hospitals by June 2005. For more information on the STEPPs 2 program, contact Sarah Baur, project director, at sbaur@illinoisaap.net or 312-733-1929.

Enhancing Developmentally Oriented Primary Care: www.edopc.org
The Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP), the Advocate Health Care Healthy Steps Program, the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP), and the Ounce of Prevention Fund have partnered on an initiative to define developmentally-oriented primary care and identify needs for Illinois pediatric care providers in terms of training, technical assistance, and community support. The partnership focuses on using the Healthy Steps model and other programs to develop a range of strategies that practices can implement to most effectively provide developmentally-oriented primary care. Not every medical site will be able to implement all the recommended Healthy Steps components, and each practice faces unique challenges in terms of its patient population, staff strengths, and other factors. One goal of the project is to develop a training and technical assistance program that meets the needs of the diverse group of health professionals providing care to the children of Illinois. An advocacy component will work with state systems and legislation to create the supports necessary for providers to better address child development issues.

Issues that are being incorporated into this initiative include:

  • Support for all providers and office staff on incorporating developmentally-oriented primary care into their practice
  • On-site educational programs/training (with CME credit available)* offered in topic areas such as:

    1. Developmental Screening and Referral, including using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire
    2. Social/Emotional Screening and Referral, including using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social/Emotional (ASQ: SE)
    3. Perinatal Maternal Depression Screening and Referral, including using the Edinburgh Post-Natal Depression Scale
    4. Autism
    *Training will also be available through periodically-scheduled teleconference. Contact the project staff for dates/times.
  • anticipatory guidance beginning prenatally
  • parent education on childbirth, infant care and other topics
  • literacy promotion
  • developmentally-focused interventions on feeding, sleeping, discipline, toilet training
  • screening for gross and fine motor development
  • interventions for language and cognitive development
  • improvement in linkages and referrals to developmental diagnostic evaluation services, parent education and support services, early intervention services, early childhood education and child care programs, child and family mental health services, and adult literacy and education services

The project will also work with Illinois’ 9 pediatric and 30 family practice residency programs, as well as the 4 physician assistant and 8 nurse practitioner programs, to engage faculty in biannual learning experiences meant to enhance their ability to teach child development. The first of these meetings was held on 9/23/05. In addition, training will be available to residency and training programs, similar that which is being offered to providers in their offices/clinics.

In addition, the project team is working in-depth with selected Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), in other on-site training that will assist in developing programming for the larger number of practices that will be reached through 2007. The model for the FQHCs is that they will receive 32 hours of large group training on developmental care and onsite programming, as well as technical assistance weekly for smaller groups. A Best Practice Meeting was held in May 2005, with six out of the seven participating FQHCs attending. Sites presented what they viewed as their successes and shared insights and experiences. Additional meeting such as this, allowing for networking among the FQHCs, will be planned again in the future.

For more information, please contact: info@edopc.org, 1-888-270-0558, or
Sarah Baur, ICAAP Developmental Projects Director: sbaur@illinoisaap.net

Family Corner

NewThe Arc of Illinois Family to Family Health Information and Education Center serves families and friends of children and youth up to age 21 who have special health care needs, disabilities and chronic illnesses.

We have received funding for 4 years from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA) for this project, which commenced on May 1, 2006.

We will be providing a toll-free multi-lingual hotline for families, offering training opportunities for families and parent leaders around the state on health and health care for children and youth with special needs, and sharing information.

We are your statewide health information resource for families of children and youth with special needs

Funded by the U.S. Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA), Bureau of Maternal and Child Health and The Arc of Illinois

The Family to Family Health Information and Education Center is here to answer your questions about health and health care!

These are some of the questions that we answer every day:

  1. How can I get health insurance for my child with special needs?
  2. How can my child’s health needs be taken care of during the school day?
  3. Who can help me find medical care for my child?
  4. How can my family get help in paying medical bills?
  5. How can I help my teenager with special needs get ready for the future?

A collaborative project with Family Voices of Illinois, we are part of a national network speaking on behalf of children and youth with special health care needs (www.familyvoices.org)

We offer:

  • Information and referral services
  • Health-related training opportunities for families, youth and professionals
  • Specialized training for parent leaders and organizations
  • Linkages to local, regional, statewide and national partners

Contact us today!
We are here to help you.

Faye Manaster, M.Ed., Project Director
The Arc of Illinois Family to Family Health Information and Education Center
18207-A Dixie Highway
Homewood, IL 60430
Voice: 866/931-1110/ 708-560-6703
Illinois Relay: Dial 711
Fax: 708-206-1171
Email: familytofamily@thearcofil.org | www.thearcofil.org

Family Brochure: Every Child Deserves a Medical Home
DSCC has developed a brochure to help families of children with special health care needs better understand how they can work with their primary health care provider to establish a medical home. The family brochure is available at: internet.dscc.uic.edu/forms/medicalhome/4016.pdf

What Families Need to Know About a Medical Home
Read an article written by Dr. Charles Onufer, the director of the University of Illinois Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC). Dr. Onufer writes in a clear, concise manner what a medical home will mean for families of children with special health care needs. The article, " What Families Need to Know about a Medical Home," is available at: internet.dscc.uic.edu/forms/medicalhome/medhomefamarticle.pdf

Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Information for Parents:
Description of EHDI Program| Babies Referred from Screening
www.medicalhomeinfo.org/screening/state/illinois.html

Transition Information and Resources: internet.dscc.uic.edu/dsccroot/parents/transition.asp
Information and materials to help guide you and your child as you experience life's transitions.

Family Training and Information Centers
The Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers: www.taalliance.org/index.htm
The Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers is an innovative project that supports a unified technical assistance system for the purpose of developing, assisting and coordinating Parent Training and Information Projects and Community Parent Resource Centers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Family Matters Parent Training & Information Center: www.fmptic.org/
The Family Matters PTIC can assist you to learn about early intervention services for children from birth to three years of age, can inform you about special education services for school aged children, can help with transition issues for students who will be leaving the educational system and are preparing for the world of work or adult services, and can provide information about resources, best practices, specific disabilities, parent to parent connections, and training opportunities and conferences.

Family Support America: www.familysupportamerica.org/content/home.htm
Provides materials and assistance, advocacy to change systems, and education and information to train parent leaders in communities and states nationwide.

IL Programs and Services
Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities: www.state.il.us/agency/icdd/
The Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities (ICDD) believes in and supports the independence, productivity, integration and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities of all ages.

Illinois Department of Human Services Office Locator: www.dhs.state.il.us/OfficeLocator/
DHS is the main entry point to early childhood services and to independent service coordination services. To find the nearest Child and Family Connections (EI system) office or case management office (Developmental Disabilities) go to the above web site and select your county and the office you are looking for.

You can also contact the DHS Help line at 800-843-6154 or 800-447-6404 TTY.

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Greater Chicago: www.ucp.org/main.cfm/71
UCP's mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, through a commitment to the principles of independence, inclusion and self-determination.

UCP of Illinois: www.ucpillinois.com/
UCPI is a public information and policy development entity with eight affiliate member chapters across Illinois that provide information, referral, and direct services to children and adults with disabilities.

Advocacy and Support Organizations
Family Voices: www.familyvoices.org/st/IL.htm
Partnering with professionals and families to advocate for health care services that are family-centered, community-based, comprehensive, coordinated and culturally competent.

The Family Resource Center on Disabilities (FRCD): www.frcd.org/
Provides information, training, and support services through the Family Support Project, Youth Advocacy Project, Parent-To-Parent Training Project and though free seminars on the special education rights of children with disabilities.

Illinois Life Span: www.illinoislifespan.org/
Statewide information and advocacy coordination system for people with developmental disabilities

Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living (INCI):: www.incil.org/
A statewide organization made up of 24 Centers for Independent Living (CILs) in Illinois. CILs provide assistance for disabled persons in their transition to independent living. Information and referral CILs respond to inquiries on a variety of issues from people with disabilities, family members and professionals, as well as the general public. Comprehensive information is available regarding services available in the community to help disabled persons live independently, such as accessible housing, transportation, employment opportunities, personal assistants, interpreters for people who are hearing impaired, readers for people who are visually impaired and more.

NAMI of Illinois (National Voice on Mental Illness): www.illinois.nami.org/
Education, advocacy and support for persons with brain disorders (mental illnesses) and their families.

State Resources on the Internet: www.medicalhomeinfo.org/states/index.html#res

Note: The information provided on the state pages was submitted by the state medical home teams.As this is not an exhaustive list, please let us know if you have additions for your state resource page. You can contact us at: medical home@aap.org.

http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/states/state /illinois.html

Last Updated August 14, 2006